Ambrogio Calepino

Thus we have the Basel edition (1590) which contains eleven languages: "Ambrosii Calepini dictionarium undecim linguarum: respondent autem latinis vocabulis hebraica, græca, gallica, italica, germanica, belgica, hispanica, polonica, ungarica, anglica".

[4] Count Trussardo ensured a good education for his son by leaving him a fortune of two thousand liras tied to his attainment of his twenty-fifth birthday, such as the one hundred and fifty gold scudi left on deposit with the congregation of the Misericordia Maggiore left to him by Giovanni di Marco da Rudiano, always upon reaching his twenty-fifth birthday,[5],who, following the tradition for cadets of noble families, or perhaps it was the obligatory tradition for those who were born out of wedlock, in 1458 entered the convent of the Order of Saint Augustine, where, in 1459 he took the name Ambrose.

On July 26, 1458, having attained the age of eighteen and emancipation, he renounced his father's rich inheritance in favor of the observant congregation.

Thereafter a diatribe arose between Nicolino and the convent over the payment of the inheritance, Ambrogio, in a 1460 document stated that he was twenty years old, this would bring his date of birth to 1440.

After serving his novitiate in several monasteries in Lombard cities (Milan,Cremona,Brescia, and Mantua), he returned to his hometown where he was able to refine his knowledge, so much so that he began to devote himself to the preparation of a vocabulary, devoting himself to humanistic studies to delve into classical Latin texts believing that ancient cultures were fundamental to grasping the meaning of scripture.

Calepius continued his lexicographical work but, partly due to the onset of Visual impairment, was unable to see the final result of his labors.

The work became famous throughout Europe as “Calepino,” in honor of its author, and its wide notoriety was also due to the fact that it later took on a polyglot character, with versions in numerous modern languages.